Tag Archives: Tom Wolf

Viral Logic: Round 1 is ending. We need to approach Round 2 with more wisdom, greater balance.

May 29, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Illustration by Rich Hauck.

Back in forever ago (mid-March), an old college buddy called me for a chat.

He phoned just as his region, the San Francisco Bay Area, was beginning to hunker down for the foreseeable future. The same thing was happening here.

“This doesn’t feel right to me,” I said, as the streets of Harrisburg emptied almost overnight.

We went on to discuss how bizarre it was that a place could be so busy and thriving one day and, like someone flipped a switch, vacant and desperate the next. He was more convinced than I was that a lockdown was the way to go.

“What would you do differently?” he asked, sounding like the college professor that he is.

“I’m not sure,” I responded. “But layering on a profound economic and social crisis to a health crisis doesn’t seem like the best solution to me.”

And, months later, as I sit here in my empty office, having walked from my empty house, through an empty city, I continue to think two things.

First, unlike the Twitter jockeys who populate my feed, I don’t mind admitting ignorance. This is an unprecedented and incredibly complex situation with many moving parts and no easy answers. No one truly knows how to yield an optimal outcome.

Not Gov. Wolf or Secretary Levine. Not President Trump. Not you, not me, not anyone. We’re all making it up as we go along, whether we’re creating national policy, state policy or household policy. I think it’s healthy to admit that and to have tolerance for mistakes and corrections.

And, secondly, I continue to think that a scorched-earth policy derived from panic almost always leads to disastrous unexpected consequences.

I actually told my friend that I wished that we, as a country, had prepared better, that we had the ability to quickly mobilize a system of wide-scale testing and the rapid deployment of needed resources. But I guess, upon reflection, we all wish that. To me, this lack of preparation shows an extraordinary failure at the highest levels of our federal government.

Concurrently, I told him, that, from the beginning, we should have acted to vigilantly protect our most vulnerable people. And, in fact, the pandemic’s grim statistics show that we also failed to do that. COVID-19 has burned through nursing homes and other care centers at a shocking rate. As I write this, 65 percent of all deaths from the disease in PA have been in congregant care centers.

So, where to now?

Throughout May, Pennsylvania began slowly opening back up. In most areas of the state, the governor switched his “red” to “yellow,” allowing some activities to resume in places with low or falling rates of COVID-19.

As summer progresses, we’ll continue to see fewer reds and more yellows and greens.

My hope is that we learned something—actually, a lot of things—from our first big battle with the coronavirus, because it likely won’t be our last.

Absent a vaccine, we’re going to have to learn to live with this monster.

So, here’s hoping that, during a second or third round, we do things far better than the first time around, making decisions based more on knowledge and less on panic and improvisation.

We need a solid plan based on more testing, better therapies, contact tracing where possible, and a concerted community effort to protect our most vulnerable. Well, I’ll leave the rest to the experts because I’m certainly not one.

However, I will say this—we cannot shut down society cold again. That should be the baseline on which we operate. There needs to be some balance between our health, our economic and our social needs, which all are important.

I’ve thought many times about what Harrisburg will look like on the back end of this. Will we be able to spring back? As I sit here, after more than two months of shutdown, I’m cautiously optimistic. But I also know that time is not our friend. How long before all we’ve built begins to crumble? Some businesses are already on their last legs, patience is wearing thin, and people are taking sides. The unity of the early days is dissipating as the weather warms and the suffering continues.

In the end, I hope that we’ve learned many things from what may be a warm-up for future outbreaks. We’ve had our trial-and-error period. Next time around, we must take our collective experience and newfound wisdom and do it all much, much better.

Lawrance Binda is co-publisher/editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

May News Digest

May 29, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Conley

Businesses Receive Stabilization Grants

More than 300 Harrisburg-licensed businesses last month received $5,000 grants to help them survive the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The city and Impact Harrisburg announced the awards from a pool of money funded by both entities.

“We wanted to fund as many businesses as we possibly could across the broad spectrum,” said Sheila Dow-Ford, executive director of Impact Harrisburg, a nonprofit set up following the city’s financial crisis to help spur economic development. “So we are hoping we hit the mark in that regard.”

The program allowed businesses to request up to $10,000, but, given the large number of applicants, Impact Harrisburg decided to give $5,000 grants to all qualified applicants.

Initially, both the city and Impact Harrisburg were to contribute $500,000 to a $1 million fund, with the city’s portion originating from its dormant “revolving loan fund.”

However, qualified applications exceeded the initial funding, so Impact Harrisburg kicked in another $750,000. The city now is considering adding money for a second round of funding.

“Our goal is to keep these businesses afloat so, when it is time to reopen, they have a fighting chance of surviving and bouncing back, hopefully stronger than ever,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

Recipient Angel Fox of Fox’s Wash and Go said that the grant will allow her to repair washing machines in her Allison Hill laundromat, as customers have been “over-stuffing” the machines to try to stretch their own limited financial resources.

Elementary Coffee Co.’s Andrea Grove said that, beyond the money, she appreciated that care was taken to distribute the grants to all deserving, qualified applicants.

“We desperately need this money, but so many other people need it as well,” she said. “That is a beautiful testament to the care that this community has for each individual business and the position that they are in.”

For recipient Lori Reese, the money will help her sustain her personal organizing business, Consider It Done LLC, and it will help offset additional costs brought on by the crisis. Like many companies, she’s been forced to do more business online, which has meant extra, unanticipated costs to expand her virtual presence, capabilities and security.

Reese also mentioned a non-financial benefit of the program. Much like Grove, she said that she appreciates the effort, caring and the creativity that her city and Impact Harrisburg showed for the small business community here.

“I feel valued as a city business and a city resident,” she said. “Because it’s local, it means more to me.”

Harrisburg Area Enters Yellow Phase

Most of the Harrisburg area last month entered the less-restrictive “yellow” phase of the state’s phased reopening plan.

In south-central PA, Cumberland, York, Perry and Adams counties were the first to transition from the red phase to the yellow phase in late May. A week later, Dauphin and Lebanon counties joined them.

On June 5, Lancaster County, along with the remainder of “red” counties in the commonwealth, will transition to yellow, Gov. Tom Wolf announced.

Wolf credited the policies of the state government for helping to cut the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth. Cases peaked in early April at almost 2,000 new cases a day and gradually fell to fewer than 1,000 new cases a day.

“We know not only that we succeeded in slowing case growth, but that our actions, our collective decisions to stay at home and avoid social contact—we know that saved lives,” Wolf said. “My stay-at-home order did exactly what it was intended to do. It saved lives, and it bought us valuable time.”

The state government uses a tri-color red/yellow/green system to guide re-openings in the commonwealth.

Under the red phase, people are supposed to observe strict “stay-at-home” orders, and “non life-sustaining” businesses cannot operate from their physical locations. Under yellow, these restrictions are eased, but limits remain in place. For instance, schools must remain closed, bars and restaurants are stilled banned from offering sit-down dining, and gatherings of more than 25 people are prohibited.

Under the green phase, most restrictions are lifted, though large crowds remain prohibited. Late last month, 17 mostly rural counties in the northwest and north-central parts of the state entered the green phase.

Allison Hill Project Gets Go-Ahead

One of the largest housing developments on Allison Hill in recent years is slated to move forward, as Harrisburg City Council last month approved a plan for a multi-building project just off of Market Street.

Council unanimously approved the land use plan by TLC Cornerstone Renewal to construct 26 townhouses, a 24-unit apartment building and a community center in a five-block area bounded by N. 15th Street, Walnut Street and Crabapple Street.

“This is such a blighted area,” council President Wanda Williams said during a council work session. “It certainly will enhance this area.”

At that work session, developer Tarik Casteel, president of TLC, told council members that he hopes to break ground in the early fall on the $14.7 million affordable housing project on the 2.1-acre site.

“This project will be big in this community,” he said. “It’s definitely needed, not just in this community but in several areas of the city of Harrisburg.”

Nearly two years ago, TLC cut the ribbon on its first big project, the 20-unit Harrisburg Uptown Building (HUB) and the HUB Veteran Housing Campus.

Casteel told council that the new Allison Hill project would be just the first phase of a three-phase project for the area. He expects a 16-month construction period for the first phase.

“In Allison Hill, there is definitely a need,” he said. “This was one of the worst areas of the city. That’s why we wanted to come into this area, because it is the worst.”

Council Approves CDBG Disbursement

Harrisburg City Council last month approved the disbursement of annual federal housing funds.

The city set aside money from its share of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for use by nonprofit “sub-recipients.” These included:

A Miracle for Sure: $13,810
Center for Employment Opportunities: $13,810
Communities in Schools: $13,810
Heinz Menaker Senior Center: $14,000
Latino Hispanic American Community Center (LHACC): $13,810
Neighborhood Dispute Settlement: $13,810
Pennsylvania Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Network: $13,810
The Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region: $25,000

The city also distributed federal Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding to the following organizations:

Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness: $24,000
Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area: $63,000
Shalom House: $43,100
YWCA Greater Harrisburg: $50,000

These funds originate from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, and, every year, the city sets aside some of the money for use by community nonprofits.

Harrisburg Plans Cyber School

Come fall, Harrisburg school district students will have another way to learn, as district officials have announced a new, full-time cyber school.

Last month, officials unveiled the Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy, which is meant to broaden educational options and offer an alternative to cyber charter schools.

“Early on, we asked our teachers to make calls to get feedback from our families. This was way back in March,” said Susan Sneath, chief academic officer for the district. “They were already telling us there was no way they were going to send their children back to [the brick-and-mortar] school.”

Sneath knew the district needed to have another option for students. Thus, the Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy (HVLA) was established.

According to the district, the HVLA will be full-time and free to Harrisburg students. The program offers K-to-12th grade enrollment, in which each student is provided a Chromebook.

This differs from the district’s existing Cougar Academy, which is a “blended” cyber program that requires that students also spend time inside the classroom. In contrast, HVLA is fully remote.

Students will receive recorded instruction from teachers with additional meetings as needed. While the school is primarily online, there are face-to-face tutoring options, including English language arts and math. Special education teachers, English as a second language teachers and reading specialists will be available to provide support.

Sneath explained that students will continue to receive academic advising through an assigned counselor and can expect outreach from a social worker to aid with social and emotional needs. Technology support will be readily available, as well, during school hours.

The school district plans to use trained educators from the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, an entity that supports local school districts. Additional faculty, such as counselors and academic advisors, will come from Harrisburg staff.

Students in HVLA can participate in academic advancement such as Advanced Placement courses and “gifted” programs. They will also be tied to their neighborhood’s school, which will allow access to all special events and extracurricular activities such as picture day, athletics and prom.

All HVLA students are considered Harrisburg Cougars, and they will receive a diploma from the Harrisburg school district.

In the past, students in the district seeking online education have often looked to cyber charter schools, but Sneath hopes that this option curbs that.

“We want to keep our kids, and we want to provide the very best for our kids,” she said. “We developed HVLA with that in mind.”

HVLA will not take the place of the district’s remote learning plan for students in the case that students can’t return to school buildings in the fall. The cyber-school is only for those who enroll.

“The intent for the people who enroll in HVLA is that they are going to stay in HVLA,” Sneath said.

Development Projects Approved

Two significant development projects in Harrisburg should soon break ground after receiving final approval by the city.

City Council last month unanimously approved a land development plan by the Hudson Companies to build a 130,000-square-foot office building on the 2500-block of N. 7th Street, the site of the former headquarters of D&H Distributing.

The Hermitage, Pa.-based company plans to demolish D&H’s low-slung building and construct a new, three-story, brick-and-glass building on the site. Hudson then will enter into a long-term lease with the commonwealth, which plans to locate about 850 Department of Human Services and Office of Administration workers there. Most will move from the former Harrisburg State Hospital grounds, which the state is trying to sell.

Hudson hopes to break ground on the project in several months, with completion in late 2021.

City Council also approved a land development plan for the construction of four new townhouses on the 600-block of Woodbine Street. The nearby Camp Curtin YMCA plans to undertake the $1 million affordable housing project on vacant land currently owned by the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority.

Jamien Harvey, the Camp Curtin YMCA executive director, said he hoped that this project would just be the first phase of building more affordable housing in the area.

Harvey said that the houses, which will cost about $175,000 apiece to build, will sell for $70,000 to $80,000.

“We are looking to change the look of our neighborhood,” he said. “We’re looking to eliminate blight. We’re looking to cut down on the drugs and the violence in our neighborhood, and we’re looking to building a community with pride. This is one of many projects to come.”

Preliminary School Budget Approved

The Harrisburg school district last month approved a preliminary budget for next school year, using federal aid to close a substantial budget gap.

District Receiver Janet Samuels accepted the $157.6 million spending plan, which does not raise school taxes for the 2020-21 year.

The district took a $4.2 million hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis. Unexpectedly, the district had to lower anticipated revenue from earned income taxes, PILOT tax payments, real estate taxes and increases in the state’s basic and special education subsidies.

To help close the deficit, the district was awarded a $4.7 million grant from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. However, those funds expire Sept. 30, according to Acting Superintendent Chris Celmer.

“It’s going to take time to work through logistics of how we are able to spend that,” he said.

Celmer said that, if additional state funding doesn’t eliminate the deficit, a staff realignment may help, along with the CARES Act funding.

The 2020-21 budget is $8.6 million higher than the current, 2019-20 school year’s projected final budget. Employee salaries and benefits, along with other higher expenses, are causing the increased spending, according to the district.

Another virtual budget workshop is scheduled for June 15. A final decision on a 2020-21 spending plan is expected on June 22.

The proposed completed budget will be available to the public on the district’s website for 30 days before the last meeting in June.

School Board Appointment

The Harrisburg school district has named Nora Carreras to its board of directors, filling an open seat following the death of Gerald Welch.

District Receiver Janet Samuels last month appointed Carreras, who works for the PA Department of Human Services, due to her “long history as a public servant along with her wealth of knowledge of resources that support children, families and the broader Harrisburg community.”

Under state code, Samuels had 30 days to fill the seat, which was left open after Welch died of COVID-19 complications on April 15. Welch was elected last year to the nine-member board and was in the first year of a four-year term. Carreras’ appointment runs through next year.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Ms. Nora Carreras to the Harrisburg school board of directors,” said Acting Superintendent Chris Celmer. “Ms. Carreras has a proven track record of providing advocacy and support for at-risk families through the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Carreras expressed excitement for the opportunity.

“I am honored to join and support the district’s effort to bring increased educational quality and fiscal accountability,” she said. “Every student in the city of Harrisburg deserves the opportunity to thrive, to learn in a supportive environment and reach their full potential.”

Home Sales Down, Prices Up

Sales dropped but prices rose in the Harrisburg area, as the realtor’s association released its first report during a full month of COVID-19 restrictions.

In April, 455 homes sold in the three-county area, compared to 619 in April 2019, but the median price increased to $200,000 compared to $180,000 a year ago, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

In Dauphin County, 212 houses sold at a median price of $173,000, versus 294 houses at a median price of $167,000 in the year-ago period, GHAR said.

Cumberland County saw 222 houses change hands compared to 296 a year ago, while the median price rose to $235,000 from $202,500. Perry County bucked the trend, with 21 houses selling for a median price of $173,000 compared to 29 houses for $200,000 a year ago.

For the three-county region, days on the market dropped to an average of 50 days versus 53 days the previous April, according to GHAR.

So Noted

TheBurg received 16 individual and group 2020 Keystone Media Awards in the annual peer-reviewed contest sponsored by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation. These awards cover a wide range of categories, including for reporting, editorial writing, column writing, illustration, photography and design. TheBurg also won the coveted “Sweepstakes” award for best performance in its category statewide.

Changing Hands

Benton St., 607: D. Thomas to Neidlinger Enterprises LLC, $60,000

Brookwood St., 2462: K. Boyer to CR Property Group LLC, $47,000

Calder St., 321: R. & F. Armetta to 1037 Maclay St. LLC, $70,000

Chestnut St., 1810: CR Property Group LLC to C. Blodgett, $91,500

Derry St., 2531: J. Hocker to J. Einzig, $72,500

Edgewood Rd., 2315: I. & A. MacFarlane to E. Shaner, $214,000

Edward St., 260: J. Dudick to Realm Properties LLC, $97,000

Fulton St., 1707: K. Herbe to A. Murray, $124,900

Fulton St., 1714: N. Smith to N. Pachella & M. Pickup, $127,500

Grand St., 920: M. & A. Bukowski to E. Fisher, $115,000

Green St., 1710: M. Della Porta to B. & B. Hinnenkamp, $210,000

Green St., 1931: N. Condon to S. Agbaw, $204,900

Green St., 2003: S. Biray to B. Maurer & M. Zia, $194,500

Green St., 2043: R. Shokes Jr. to D. & T. Schutt, $214,900

Green St., 2328: J. & L. Leahy to Moxie Properties LLC, $41,000

Holly St., 1815: CR Property Group LLC to B. Nevid, $105,000

Kelker St., 317: Wilmington Trust NA to BDS Property Group LLC, $62,000

Lexington St., 2619: CR Property Group LLC to A. Bertschmann, $105,000

Logan St., 2247: CR Property Group LLC to J. & A. Oates, $101,000

Logan St., 2305: B. & K. Saltzgiver to C. & R. Herr, $42,000

North St., 242: J. & S. Wesley to J. Lucia, $105,000

N. 2nd St., 2525: P. & A. Ramos to A. Arturet, $205,000

N. 3rd St., 1604: C. Overbaugh to A., P. & T. Bair, $124,000

N. 3rd St., 2435: D. & G. Laninga to D. & M. Lambert, $149,900

N. 4th St., 1336: R. & F. Armetta to 1037 Maclay St. LLC, $80,900

N. 4th St., 2442: M. & N. Godfrey to Graevel Holdings LLC, $50,000

N. 4th St., 3111: B. Redman to D. Miller & M. Strouse, $138,000

N. 6th St., 2446: J. Urena to R. Contreras & Y. Vargas, $230,000

N. 14th St., 226: W. Cruz to J. Bowen, $66,000

N. 15th St., 1336: M. Smith to J. Valverde, $50,000

N. 16th St., 814: D. Boyle to E. Reyes, $30,000

N. 16th St., 1105: K. Drayton to N. Gutierrez, $50,000

N. 16th St., 1219: L. Wolf to J. Cruz, $42,000

N. Front St., 2509: Pennsylvania Builders Association to Morning Star Pregnancy Services, $475,000

Parkway Blvd., 2509: A. & L. Smith to J. & M. Torres, $135,000

Penn St., 1208: R. Christ & D. Cole to Wheatland Restore LLC, $88,501

Pennwood St., 3202: CR Property Group LLC to A. Bertschmann, $110,000

Revere St., 1720: Atlantic NorthStar Properties LLC to N. de los Santos, $49,000

Race St., 542: N. Fenstermacher to A. Dullebawn & A. Ditzler, $140,000

Reily St., 206: D. Burnham to Fratelli Property Investments, $135,439

Rudy Rd., 2339: W. MacMichael to L. Kurutz, $169,900

Seneca St., 623: Atlantic NorthStar Properties LLC to J. Thieu, $44,000

S. 18th St., 1033: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development to F. Ramos, $30,100

S. 25th St., 448: K. & M. Stone to G. Bedasa, $115,000

S. 25th St., 616: P. & L. Brown to R. Reyes & F. Nunez, $65,000

S. Front St., 601: R. & L. Firestone to J. Shen, $184,900

Swatara St., 1913: G. Amador & C. Vargas to J. Tejada, $62,000

Sycamore St., 1726: Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $30,000

Harrisburg property sales for April 2020, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Wolf signs order to shift Dauphin, Lebanon counties to yellow phase at midnight

May 28, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

PA Gov. Tom Wolf (right)

Gov. Tom Wolf tonight has made it official, signing an order that moves Dauphin County into the “yellow” phase at midnight.

In a statement, the governor’s press office said that both he and Department of Health Secretary Rachel Levine signed the order that shifts eight more counties into the less-restrictive yellow phase. They are Dauphin, Lebanon, Franklin, Huntingdon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike and Schuylkill counties.

These counties join 49 other Pennsylvania counties that previously moved into the yellow phase. This now includes all counties in the Harrisburg area except Lancaster County.

The yellow phase relaxes the state’s strict “stay-at-home” order and the forced closing of the physical locations of “non life-sustaining” businesses, measures imposed in March due to the escalating COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, it allows retail stores to reopen and for offices to reopen as long as they follow social distancing and other safety requirements.

Wolf said last week that he intended to move all remaining red-phase counties into the yellow phase by June 4, including the hard-hit Philadelphia metro area.

In addition, on Friday, much of the northwest and north-central parts of the state are slated to move from the yellow phase to the least-restrictive green phase.

The pandemic peaked in Pennsylvania in early April, quickly rising to nearly 2,000 positive diagnoses daily. The new-case rate has been slowly falling since and has been generally in the 500 to 1,000-case range for more than two weeks.

New coronavirus cases remain subdued in PA, with fewer also reported locally

May 26, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

PA Gov. Tom Wolf (right) at a press briefing today

For a straight second day, new COVID-19 cases in PA dropped below 500, with reported fatalities also continuing to trend lower.

The state Department of Health today reported 451 new positive cases for the period ending at midnight.

This marks 16 days straight with new case numbers below 1,000 in Pennsylvania. With the additional cases, 68,637 Pennsylvanians have now been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

It’s been two months since the state reported a lower number of daily new cases—276 cases on March 25. Yesterday, the state reported 473 new cases.

Cases peaked in early April at nearly 2,000 daily new cases. Since then, cases have shown a gradual, relatively steady decline.

“Our case count continues to trend downward,” Gov. Tom Wolf said today, who added that he was especially encouraged because of increasingly greater testing levels for the virus.

The lower case data today, in part, may be attributable to less reporting to the state Department of Health over the holiday weekend.

Of the new cases today, 167 are in residents of nursing and personal care homes.

Locally, total diagnosed cases are as follows:

Adams County: 233 cases (yesterday, 227)
Cumberland County: 602 cases (yesterday, 598)
Dauphin County: 1,137 cases (yesterday, 1,123)
Franklin County: 746 cases (yesterday, 740)
Lancaster County: 2,985 cases (yesterday, 2,896)
Lebanon County: 922 cases (yesterday, 912)
Perry County: 48 cases (yesterday, 47)
York County: 943 cases (yesterday, 930)

Overall, 16.8 percent of PA residents tested have shown to be positive for the virus.

The health department also reported another 13 fatalities, meaning that 5,152 Pennsylvanians have died from the disease since March. This represents a fall from the 100-plus COVID-19-related deaths reported last week in PA.

Of the newly reported fatalities, most were residents of nursing or personal care homes.

Around central PA, the COVID-19 fatality data now stands as follows:

Adams County: 7 deaths (yesterday, 7)
Cumberland County: 46 deaths (yesterday, 46)
Dauphin County: 63 deaths (yesterday, 63)
Franklin County: 29 deaths (yesterday, 29)
Lancaster County: 281 deaths (yesterday, 280)
Lebanon County: 27 deaths (yesterday, 27)
Perry County: 1 death (yesterday, 1)
York County: 22 deaths (yesterday, 22)

Statewide, Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 17,597 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 6,598 cases. The two counties also have reported the most deaths statewide from the disease: 1,232 and 635, respectively.

“As counties move from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place,” health Secretary Rachel Levine said.

So far, the state has moved 49 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties into the less restrictive yellow phase. On Friday, eight more counties are slated to enter the yellow phase, including Dauphin and Lebanon counties. By June 5, the entire state will exit from the red phase to either yellow or green, according to current plans.

Nursing homes and personal care facilities have been particularly hard hit by the virus. Of total deaths, 3,395, or 65.9 percent, have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities, according to the health department.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 14,857 resident cases of COVID-19, and 2,505 cases among employees, for a total of 17,362 at 594 distinct facilities in 44 counties, according to the health department.

In addition, 5,159 of total cases in PA are in health care workers.

Statewide, 408,472 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 339,835 people testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 403,114 people had been tested for the virus.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date, the age breakdown is as follows, according to the health department:

Nearly 1 percent are aged 0-4
Nearly 1 percent are aged 5-12
Nearly 2 percent are aged 13-18
Nearly 6 percent are aged 19-24
Nearly 37 percent are aged 25-49
25 percent are aged 50-64
Nearly 29 percent are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, as are most of the reported deaths, according to the state.

Levine continued to emphasize that Pennsylvanians should do the following:

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
Clean surfaces frequently.
Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.

“We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders,” Levine said. “I am proud of the work that Pennsylvanians have done so far, but we cannot stop now, we must continue to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19.”

For more information, visit the PA Department of Health’s COVID-19 website.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

May 22, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Dave Houseal as a Harrisburg firefighter, 1985.

The coronavirus pandemic continued to dominate news coverage for yet another week. What made our headlines? We have all of our coverage for the week listed and linked below for your reading convenience.

Art in the Wild demonstrated that the show must go on, as it debuted for the season
in Wildwood Park. The outdoor exhibit is now on display along the 3.1-mile trail, which prompted a blog feature from our arts writer.

Artsfest is going virtual this weekend, as the pandemic scrubbed the annual live arts and entertainment event. Harrisburg is trying to make the event as close as possible to the riverfront festival. Get the details from our online story.

COVID-19 cases continued to grow in PA this week, though the rate of growth has been declining. At the same time, fatality data remained high. Each day, we wrote an update, and the most recent can be found here.

COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating toll on the commonwealth’s elderly and ill. The state began issuing data this week breaking down coronavirus cases by age and pre-existing conditions. Our online story showed the grim results of this analysis.

Dauphin County is slated to enter the “yellow phase” of reopening next Friday, May 29, joining much of the rest of south-central PA. What does that mean? Our online story offers the latest on the commonwealth’s phased reopening plan.

Dave Houseal has been a fixture around the Harrisburg Fire Bureau for decades and now is the department’s resident historian. What makes him such a fount of firefighting facts? Our magazine profile shows that it’s all in the blood.

Friends of TheBurg turns a month old this weekend, so our editor wanted to extend a heartfelt “thank you” to community members for their tremendous response. His blog post explains what has happened over the past month as the community rallied around TheBurg by joining our new membership program.

Harrisburg school district is debuting a new cyber option for students, the Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy. Our online story explains why it was started and when it will be available.

Harrisburg University officials know that we are living in an important historical period. To capture this unique time, they’ve launched a history project to show how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all aspects of university life. Our online feature details what they’re up to.

PA Department of Health released long-awaited data on COVID-19 cases in the state’s nursing homes, including for the Harrisburg area. Our online story reflected this sobering report, which showed the devastation within these congregant care facilities.

Pride of the Susquehanna is appealing for donations as the COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out its early sailing season. Even when it finally takes to the water, the iconic Harrisburg riverboat will face other problematic issues, as our online story explains.

Sara Bozich is still at home, but that hasn’t stopped her usual list of things to do over the long weekend. Check out her suggested options for virtual activities, accompanied by some takeout.

School district receiver Janet Samuels approved a preliminary budget for the 2020-21 academic year that contains a large budget deficit but does not raise taxes. Our online story explains the district’s situation, which has been impacted by the pandemic.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox? If not, subscribe here!

Become our newest Friend of TheBurg! What’s that? Click here for information on our exciting new membership program.

Dauphin, Lebanon counties to move to “yellow” phase next week, as PA moves to fuller reopening

May 22, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Gov. Tom Wolf (right) at his press briefing today.

Most of the Harrisburg area will enter the less-restrictive “yellow” phase of the state’s reopening plan next week, as Dauphin and Lebanon counties are slated make the move on May 29.

PA Gov. Tom Wolf announced late today that these counties are among eight that will transition to the yellow phase next Friday, May 29. The others are Franklin, Huntingdon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike and Schuylkill counties.

“I want to thank all Pennsylvanians who have made tremendous sacrifices since this virus emerged in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said. “I want to remember and honor all of those who we lost, and I want to give solace to their families and loved ones. The last two months have been trying, and they have tested each of us.”

Wolf credited the policies of the state government for helping to cut the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth. Cases peaked in early April at around 2,000 new cases a day and gradually have fallen to fewer than 1,000 new cases a day.

“We know not only that we succeeded in slowing case growth, but that our actions, our collective decisions to stay at home and avoid social contact–we know that saved lives,” Wolf said. “My stay-at-home order did exactly what it was intended to do: It saved lives and it bought us valuable time.”

Most of the rest of south-central PA moved into the yellow category today, including Cumberland, Perry, Adams and York counties, leaving only Lancaster County locally in the red phase.

Wolf said today that he expects the rest of the state, including the hard-hit Philadelphia metro area, to move to the yellow category on June 5.

The state government uses a tri-color red/yellow/green system to guide re-openings in the commonwealth.

Under the red phase, people are supposed to observe strict “stay-at-home” orders, and “non life sustaining” businesses cannot operate from their physical locations. Under yellow, these restrictions are eased, but limits remain in place. For instance, schools must remain closed, bars and restaurants are stilled banned from offering sit-down dining, and gatherings of more than 25 people are prohibited (see chart).

Wolf today also announced that a large swath of PA will enter the least-restrictive “green” phase on May 29. These 17 counties are mostly in the rural northwest and north-central parts of the state and were among the first to move into the yellow phase on May 8. They have continued to show low levels of COVID-19 cases.

Under green, most restrictions are lifted, though the state has yet to issue detailed guidance for business operations in green zones.

Around the midstate, Dauphin, Lebanon and Lancaster counties have shown the greatest per-capita cases of COVID-19, though case numbers have been decreasing recently relative to the number of tests, which has been increasing. Also, many of the new cases have occurred in nursing homes and other long-term care settings.

In related news, the state Department of Health today said that it would close its northeast drive-in testing site at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Arena on May 29. Most of the counties in the northeast have already or will transition to the yellow phase soon.

According to the state, 2,048 people have been tested at the site to date, with about 7 percent testing positive for COVID-19.

“We are very pleased with the success of the site and that we were able to provide necessary testing to citizens of northeast Pennsylvania,” department Secretary Rachel Levine said. “However, it is time we redirect these resources to other areas of our state that are in need of assistance in this pandemic.”

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

May 15, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

One of the more colorful outfits at Friday’s ReOpen PA rally

The pandemic news had some new twists and turns this week, in addition to the same old, plodding story. As usual, we covered it all as it unfolded. If you missed any of our coverage, we have it all listed and linked below.

Allison Hill is slated for a major redevelopment project, as Harrisburg City Council this past week approved a building plan for a centrally located area around N. 15^th Street. The developer hopes to break ground later this year. Click here for the details.

April home sales held their own in the Harrisburg area, despite the pandemic. Sales were down a bit, but prices actually rose during the month. Find out the details in our monthly update.

COVID-19 cases continue to drop, ever so slowly, around the commonwealth, though the fatality count has risen sharply. We covered the state’s daily briefings, including the latest story here.

Cumberland, Adams, York and Perry counties will move into the “yellow” category next week, Gov. Wolf said. This leaves the Harrisburg area split, with about half the area still under the most restrictive red phase. Get the details in our online news story.

Gov. Tom Wolf came out swinging this past week, warning counties that they risk losing aid if they unilaterally relax business and stay-at-home restrictions. He didn’t mince words, much like the strong language of several critical county commissioners. Find out what happened from our online story.

Grieving and funerals have changed greatly due to the coronavirus pandemic. Our online feature story explains how people are adapting in a time of social distancing and limits on public gatherings.

Harrisburg-based small businesses received some rare good news this week, as they learned they would receive $5,000 checks under a joint program by Impact Harrisburg and the city. We had the story details, including interviews with a few recipients.

Harrisburg school district has a large, unexpected budget deficit due to lower tax revenue and lower-than-expected aid, in light of the pandemic. However, they still don’t expect to raise taxes. Our online story explains why.

ReOpen PA held another protest of Gov. Tom Wolf’s “stay at home” and business closure orders. The crowd was smaller than last month’s, but remained passionate, with lots of colorful posters, flags and pro-Trump paraphernalia. Our online feature story captures the action.

ReOpen PA is back, exercising their Constitutional right of assembly. That’s perfectly fine, says our editor, as long as they also exercise respect for the capital city and its people. His editorial created a lively online conversation after its publication.

Sara Bozich is still staring at her computer screen, that is, when she’s not staring out the window. But, lucky for us, she’s found some terrific online activities and takeout options, which she shares in her weekly blog post.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School had to cancel its annual “Race for Education,” but that didn’t stop the fundraiser from moving forward. Like many other things in our lives, the race went online. Find out how you can contribute in our online feature story.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news events delivered directly to your email inbox? If not, subscribe here!

Have you yet become a “Friend of TheBurg?” Find out about our new membership program, which has some great benefits, by clicking here.

Cumberland, Perry, York counties to enter “yellow” phase next week, says governor

May 15, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

PA Gov. Tom Wolf (right) today said that several central PA counties will enter the yellow phase next week.

Much of the Harrisburg area—but not Harrisburg itself—soon will move into the “yellow” phase, meaning that the state will lift some coronavirus-related restrictions.

On Friday, Gov. Tom Wolf said that 12 more counties will move to the less-restrictive yellow category on May 22.

Locally, they are Cumberland, York, Perry and Adams counties. In addition, several counties from outside the area will go to the yellow phase at that time: Beaver, Carbon, Columbia, Juniata, Mifflin, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming.

“To Pennsylvanians in one of the 49 counties in the yellow phase, I cannot emphasize enough that you should continue to implement social distancing,” Wolf said, adding that people should continue to keep six feet away from others, wear a mask in public, telework and vigilantly wash their hands. “This virus has not been eradicated from these counties, and we are continuing to closely monitor new case counts.”

On Friday, 13 counties in the southwest portion of the state moved from red to yellow, joining 24 others in the northwest and north-central parts of the state.

Eighteen counties, including Dauphin, Lebanon and Lancaster counties, will remain in the “red” zone, which has the most restrictive “stay at home” and business closure mandates.

Wolf declined to say when these counties might move into the yellow category. Last week, he extended his “stay at home” order for all red-zone counties until June 4.

In response, Dauphin County’s two Republican commissioners, Jeff Haste and Mike Pries, issued a statement decrying Wolf’s decision to keep the county in the red zone.

“The governor’s decision today to keep Dauphin, Lebanon and Lancaster counties shut down while neighboring counties begin to reopen is nothing more than political payback,” said Haste, who chairs the board of commissioners. “Rather than listen to the people of Pennsylvania, he pits groups of people against each other and puts out misleading data to back up his cause. We’ve heard from hundreds of residents and business owners that the time to reopen is now.”

Haste cited data saying that Dauphin and Cumberland counties have shown similar infection rates, but that Dauphin County appears to have more cases because it has performed many more COVID-19 tests.

“Based on these figures, Dauphin County has performed 2½ times as many tests as Cumberland County and, it seems, is being punished for it,” said Haste.

As of Friday, the state reported 912 positive cases in Dauphin County and 492 in Cumberland County. Both counties have had the same number of deaths from the illness–41.

Pries cited other data showing that the pandemic has not overwhelmed the county’s health care system, citing low usage of ventilators. Of the county’s 140 ventilators, only three currently are being used for COVID-19 patients, and 84 remain fully available, he said.

“Looking at these numbers, it’s obvious that our healthcare system is not overwhelmed,” said Pries. “Why keep local businesses closed while thousands of people a day pack into the big-box stores? We have flattened the curve and want to reopen our county in a gradual and safe way that balances public health with the economy.”

Haste said that county District Attorney Fran Chardo and Sheriff Nick Chimienti will not enforce orders to keep non-essential businesses closed. Lebanon County also has said it will not enforce those orders.

For his part, Wolf said that he bases his decisions on where counties stand on the advice of scientific and medical professionals.

“It’s easy to look outside and see a beautiful spring day, and think, ‘Hey, there’s no danger,’” he said. “But the danger is real, and we need to take that seriously.”

ReOpen PA rally smaller, still passionate, the second time around

May 15, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A sign at today’s ReOpen PA rally

A smaller, yet still passionate, crowd gathered on Friday in front of the PA Capitol building, as ReOpen PA held a second rally in a month protesting the state’s coronavirus-related restrictions.

Like during the first rally, many protestors carried homemade signs or scrawled messages on their vehicles that said things like “Stop Virulent Government” and “Jesus Is My Vaccine”—and there was no shortage of “Trump 2020” signs or people selling them.

But, despite a full, professionally organized publicity blitz, the crowd was about half the size of the first rally in April, which attracted upwards of 1,000 people. The parade of honking vehicles circling the Capitol Complex also seemed to have lost much of its punch.

The smaller gathering didn’t stop Jeff Sternly from declaring the protest a “major success in sending a message to the governor.” Sternly ventured down from Lackawanna County and said he also had attended the April rally.

“See all this people here?” he said, gesturing to the crowd. “They want their freedom back.”

ReOpen PA alleges that Gov. Tom Wolf, through his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, “has unconstitutionally denied citizens their basic rights” and “threatened the livelihood of all Pennsylvanians.”

In March, Wolf issued a “stay-at-home” order and required that all “non life sustaining businesses” close their physical locations to fight spread of the virus. Since then, his administration developed a three-color system for gradually reopening.

Today, 13 counties in the southwest portion of the state switched from “red” to “yellow,” thereby loosening some of those restrictions. Last week, 24 counties also changed to the yellow category.

The Harrisburg area remains in the most restrictive “red” zone, though Wolf has said that he would announce today that more counties soon will enter the yellow phase.

Today’s rally lacked the hours-long cavalcade of honking vehicles through downtown and Midtown residential neighborhoods, which marked the first event. On Friday morning, the city placed barricades cordoning off most of the Capitol district’s residential areas and limiting access between downtown and Midtown.

Many vendors sold pro-Trump merchandise at the rally.

It did feature a number of speakers who oppose Wolf’s measures, including Republican state legislators Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33) and Rep. Russ Diamond (R-102).

Diamond, for one, led the crowd in a chant decrying Wolf’s actions, repeatedly saying they were a “complete and utter failure.”

“Putting 2 million people out of work and not making the unemployment system [work], so they can handle it, that’s a complete and utter failure,” he said.

Like Sternly, Diana Jackson of Berks County said that this was her second “ReOpen PA” rally and that she was prepared to return to Harrisburg if necessary.

“We need to go back to work,” she said. “That’s the bottom line.”

Burg View: Worn-Out Welcome

May 13, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A man carries an American flag with “Trump: Making America Great Again” along N. 3rd Street during the April 20 “Reopen PA” rally in Harrisburg

So, here we go again.

On Friday, “Reopen PA” says they’ll be back in town, at the state Capitol, to protest the commonwealth’s lockdown orders and business restrictions, with no doubt the usual abundance of MAGA hats, pro-Trump flags and vendors hawking Trump/Pence 2020 T-shirts.

And, on its face, that’s perfectly fine.

They have a right, as do you and I, to protest and ask the government for a redress of grievances.

But here’s what they don’t have a right to do. They have no right to terrorize the residents of the capital city.

Nearly a month ago, during the first Reopen PA/Trump rally, protesters jumped off the back of a military-style vehicle, dressed in combat gear and began unloading guns off the rear of the truck.

They circled the Capitol building for hours in their cars and trucks, gridlocking several major streets, preventing us, as well as emergency vehicles, from being able to go anywhere.

They leaned on their horns all morning and all afternoon, creating unceasing, ear-splitting cacophony in our neighborhoods.

They open-carried enormous weapons through our quiet residential streets.

And the authorities just let it roll.

The Capitol and state police, of course, were vigilant in protecting the big, empty white building with the green dome.

As I covered the event, police shouted at me when they thought I had encroached too far from the sidewalk onto 3^rd Street—just as some guy waving an enormous American flag, which he had desecrated by writing, in giant letters, the word “Trump” on it, conspicuously marched down the middle of the road (pictured above).

That day, the residents of downtown and Midtown Harrisburg felt like sitting ducks, with little visible law enforcement—local, state, whatever—standing between us and some very angry, very well-armed people.

The irony was that then, presumably like this Friday, the subjects of the protest–the governor, the health secretary and most legislators–weren’t even in the capital city. The only people here were the residents, and we bore the brunt of the hate, anger and aggressiveness aimed at other people.

By choosing to live in Harrisburg, we know that sometimes we’ll be inconvenienced by this or that protest or demonstration. And that’s fine. That’s democracy.

However, we shouldn’t have to fear for our safety, either.

So, to the protesters—welcome to Harrisburg. Please respect our city, our regulations and the people who live here. And please limit your protest to the immediate area around the Capitol building. The “Golden Rule” applies. I’m pretty sure that you also don’t want eight hours of horns blaring, gridlocked streets and scary-looking dudes armed to the teeth wandering around your street or cul de sac.

And to our elected and law enforcement officials—you have a duty not only to protect the guys in the gray suits but to protect us. We have ordinances about noise, traffic, public disturbances, etc., in our neighborhoods. Please enforce them.

Lawrance Binda is co-publisher/editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like